This is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
There’s a lot that many of us don’t know, for example,
someone is sexually assaulted in the United States. Every 68
s
let that sink in for a minute.
Every 68 s, according to their
rape abuse. Incest national network, will rain
more than sixty three thousand children are estimated to be
victims of sexual abuse. So what’s being done about it?
And who’s on the front lines? Trying to put a stop to those terrific incidences
of abuse other than police officers.
And
the ones most likely first people to start the healing process
are
oftentimes forensic. Nurses
here. This one here to talk about their very important role
that the carob reading the founder and CEO of the forensic
Center for excellence in chow win, our former colleague in this crazy
business, who’s clearly found
a higher calling as a licensed counselor at the center.
Good morning to both of you. Good morning, good morning.
You founded this for years ago? Why did you do that?
Well, I was a,
I’ve been in forensic nurse since 2011 and I was
working in the hospital.
System and time and time again, we would have
victims that had been sexually assaulted
show up to the hospital.
They had been to three or four places looking to
have an exam done.
And
there just wasn’t enough resources in this community
to serve victims. The way they needed to be served where you
you people who come there and they had already tried other places
to be examined.
Yes, so it was it was very common at the time for
hospitals again. It’s a very
Like specialty
at the time, it was really hard for hospitals to have a service
that could help
be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week
and so it was just something. They couldn’t figure out how to tackle
and so I just knew there had to be a better way to make sure that these victims
were cared for in this community. And so we just kind of went on a path
on creating a community based model so that hospitals could
have the service, no matter what. So we talked about being examined,
what role do forensic nurse examiners play in
helping the
Abuse, those victims. What role do you play? So we’re
always nurses. Right? And so nurses, main primary
goal always is to do a physical assessment. We’re assessing
for injuries were assessing for disease process. Where
in this specialized role were
documenting injuries, were listening to the victim,
kind of talk to us about that experience that they had,
but making sure that we’re connecting them with other Community Partners to
help them get to that next step in healing and Recovery,
which is so important for them. So what can
Seems to be the most challenging part about what you’re doing.
I think making sure people know
people, you know, were
where to go, when something like this happens, what their options
are there so many decisions that have to be made in this like
moment of trauma.
So like how do you answer some of those questions?
And so just being
an available resource for
individuals who may be experiencing these types of things to ask questions.
Like do I want to involve law enforcement? Do I have to involve law enforcement?
What if I want to
have evidence?
An exam done. But
I don’t want to make those decisions yet. How, what do I do then?
And I think our organization is
special because we have a 24/7 hotline that
a nurse always answers and people can ask those questions, we can
give them those answers with
without any
commitment to what those next steps might be for them. So would have been challenged
on this next one? We’re talking about some of the statistics we have about what’s
happened in the last year. For last year, your forensic nurse examiners,
conducted 1729 medical exams about 144
per
Month. This year ahead of that pace Park quite a bit 174
exams a month
with one, what my might expect. And that is a majority of the victims.
Are women
child? Talk about that. The victims we talked about the challenge of healing,
that
is a big, big part of this whole process is and not
the trauma of abuse is great. And with
the clients we see
that
first touch, the forensic nurses and then decide
should I receive counseling?
What about the resources available?
And then they can come to us and what txf any the
forensic Center of Excellence does so well is that Continuum of Care
access
Legal Services, access counseling
and when a Survivor comes and says
I shared my story I’m going to decide whether or not I want to go
to law enforcement. I’m going to decide
whether
what I want to do, but at least my journey to Healing Begins
and Trauma. Looks very different for sexual assault survivors.
They may forget the incidents they may
freeze, they may not want.
Talk about it but they do want to heal and that healing journey
is available for survivors and what you talking about is different
altogether than because you mentioned about whether or not they want to get involved with police
or not. But what you’re talking about is altogether different from what police would be asking.
It’s a whole different category. Correct, that’s right.
Survivors when they come and see us
for counseling,
they may dismiss. What’s going on.
They may not want to talk about it, but the symptoms of trauma are very
similar. It’s PTSD, it’s restlessness,
it’s excessive crying.
And sometimes they want to talk about it.
Sometimes they don’t those things we decide when we’re in a
room with a Survivor holding space for them so that they can
be heal
and survivors, do want to things. Many of them do, want accountability
for
the harm that’s been done
for them.
But many, many want to begin that healing
journey and that’s where it begins. And so,
so talk about that in the value of this, being Sexual Assault
Awareness Month. What you would hope that people would gain for next. We have all these
different months months months, but this is something we can really focus and drill down.
Down
on what is really a critical problem in our communities,
that continues to get worse. What would you hope people would get from
paying attention to this month? I want them to know, it’s not their fault. I think
this is still one of those crimes that
the victim is usually held accountable for their behavior.
Right? What were you wearing? Where were you, what time was it? Who were you with?
And I think that is one of the things that we really have to work on as a community
to kind of
work past those things because those are the barriers that are
our patients, our
families, our community, our friends are people who are going through,
These things. Those are the things that kind of stick in their mind on
the things they did to cause this, which it wasn’t anything,
they did. Like this is not something that they caused.
So I think the awareness of that,
how to seek help how to access, you know, free confidential.
And,
you know, line to
ask questions?
What do I do if x y or Z?
I think that’s important to talk about the Synergy between what’s going on
between your Center and now you have an open house
next week. Well we’re celebrating the 4th anniversary of
the forensic Center
Of Excellence. So we are going to be hosting an open house soon and we’ll
share it with all of your viewers and let you know
when that opening day and that’s really to share
what we do the resources that are available,
and to let survivors do know. Kara raised a really good point
that they are to be believed that this is not their fault
and that there is help available hope and healing
are possible
this whole process just for years now. Can you believe
where it’s been and what do you hope will continue to be
the focus of your center from years to come
I didn’t have any idea that the forensic Center will look
like this
for years later we started with like
a very small idea of how to make things better for victims and
I
think we saw 350 patients our first year
again. Where on trajectory to see about twenty two, twenty three hundred
this year.
We’ve expanded geographically or now in the Rio. Grande
Valley were expanding to Dallas.
We just continue to focus on what are the gaps in the community.
How do we feel that? Who do we partner with?
What
What access to Services? Can we provide to make sure victims
have what they need when they’re going through this. I want to continue this conversation on
newsmakers extra. We’re going to do another segment here on the would you stick around? Yeah.
Thank you dr. Frieden chow and thank you for being here for all you do as well.
I’m going to put the information about your organization and you open house information.
We can do that on the news makers page.
I’m click2houston.com. Thank you, thank you. Thank you, just ahead the